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Having grown up close to the ocean in Maine my whole life, an animal I see fairly often is the harbor seal. I distinctly remember the first time I saw a harbor seal, while I was birdwatching on the beach of Sears Island. I remember watching its head occasionally pop up from the water, as well as the sound of the gulls around me, the smell of the saltwater and the feel of the gravel beneath my feet.
This experience and many others like it involving the creatures of Sears Island only reinforced my love for wildlife. I am a wildlife ecology major in college now, and Sears Island was one of the places that inspired me to pursue wildlife as a major and as a career path.
Now as an adult, I still visit Sears Island whenever I have time. I’ve observed more than 120 species of bird on the island, sometimes finding 50 or more species on a single May morning walk. I remember walking through the woods on the island and seeing a Philadelphia vireo for the first time, just minutes after hearing my first ever black-billed cuckoo in the field at the end of the paved road. I saw a Wilson’s warbler for the first time by the kiosk at the north tip of the island, and even was fortunate enough to observe a vagrant marbled godwit, a bird that breeds in the Midwest and winters in southern Atlantic states, foraging on the mud flats just north of the island.
I could tell stories of Sears Island’s wildlife all day, but that would make this letter far too long. My point is, Sears Island is a very special place to me and to the other birders, hikers, dog-walkers and others who have memories connected to the island. And it’s not just a nice place for a walk; it is one of the best areas to go birding in the area, as it serves as a stopover point for migrating birds and monarch butterflies in the spring and fall.
I believe this place is far too precious to lose to offshore wind development. Think of the dozens of species that would be displaced if Sears Island was developed. Think of the people who have precious memories associated with the place that brought them closer to nature. Mack Point is just across the water from Sears Island; let what is already developed remain developed, and leave what is naturally pristine alone.
Wesley Hutchins
Swanville